DENVER COPS KEEP 'SECRET FILES'

ACLU Says Department Maintains Close Watch On Rights Groups

DENVER - The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday accused the
Denver Police Department of maintaining "secret files" on several
metro-area peace and civil rights groups.

Those allegedly targeted include the American Friends Service
Committee, a Quaker organization; the Chiapas Coalition, which
supports human rights in Mexico; and the Justice for Mena Committee,
a local group formed after Denver police killed a Mexican national
during a controversial "no-knock" raid in 1999.

ACLU officials said police documents show authorities unfairly
labeled some of these groups as "criminal extremists."

The ACLU based the accusations on internal police documents the
organization released Monday. The documents included physical
descriptions, addresses and the protest history of some activists.

"The few pages of documents we have obtained so far provide an
alarming glimpse of the kinds of information the Denver Police
Department is recording and the kinds of peaceful protest activity it
is monitoring inappropriately," said Mark Silverstein, ACLU's Legal
Director in Denver.

Silverstein declined to say how the ACLU got the police documents. He
could not say how long police maintained the files, how many people
were under police watch or why authorities monitored the groups.

Denver police officials plan to review the ACLU's documents with the
city attorney's office.

Denver officials say local police do not hinder anyone's free speech.

"Police protect the right of the far right and the far left to safely
assemble and freely express their opinion," said C.L. Harmer, a
spokesman for Denver's Department of Safety.

"It is not their intent to dampen free speech or lawful political activity."

Some of the police surveillance documentation went back two years.

Silverstein said the police activity had nothing to do with anti-
terrorist measures enacted in light of Sept. 11.

Nor is there any hint "that these files record facts connected to
criminal activity," Silverstein said.

Stephen Nash, a member of the End the Politics of Cruelty, a human
rights group with about a dozen members, was among those monitored by
police, according to files released Monday.

The names of other activists allegedly listed in the secret documents
were not released to protect their privacy, Silverstein said.

Nash's file included his age, his physical appearance, his driver's
license number and the type of car he owns.

The documents stated Nash was seen at various civil rights events,
including an Amnesty International demonstration in February 2000 and
a Justice for Mena Committee event in March of 2000.

Nash, a journeyman glazier, said participation in civil rights events
is "a civic duty."

In addition to his work with End the Politics of Cruelty, a group
formed to hold local police accountable for their actions, Nash has
helped organize events for the National Coalition Against Domestic
Violence.

He said the files show Denver police are "investigating people who
have the facts on them and have exposed unpleasant truths about them.
... Now you have to ask, who is next?"

The ACLU has asked Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to stop the
monitoring, make the documents available to their subjects and have
police disclose whether any other law enforcement agencies have
received the information.

The ACLU also wants the documents preserved in case a lawsuit is
filed against the city.

Webb's spokesman, Andrew Hudson, said the mayor has asked police for
a complete report on the issue.

"He wants to know why the files were created and what the
intelligence was used for," Hudson said.

"It is pretty common to see this in FBI files, but he wants to know
why the police did this and if they have legitimate reasons."